To win—to break self-defeating attitudes and behaviors—we must understand that we have the power to choose and the power to change. We have the power to let go of old thinking and adopt the mindset of a champion.”

~~~John J. Murphy and Mac Anderson; from their book: Habits Die Hard

Bravo!! I agree with what Messrs Murphy and Anderson have shared—especially in their last paragraph. We absolutely DO have the power to change!

Their example of the arm folding is one you can easily identify with. As you go about crossing your arms the “OTHER” way, you would be in the midst of Cognitive-Emotive Dissonance. (You can read more about this in Chapter 2 of Remember the Ice and Other Paradigm Shifts.)

Many have heard it takes 21 days to change a habit. I think differently.

Often I am asked how long it took me to make the shift of eliminating the "(K)notty Words" and begin Re-Framing my message regularly. In three days I eliminated my usage by over 95%! Since Tuesday July 23, 1991 when I spoke with Rick in the convenience store, I have focused on getting as close to 100% as I can. Over the last 7504 days I have probably slipped less than 25 times – in an public situation. The key is I WANTED to make the change. It is as basic as that.

I WANTED IT!!

Whatever you want to change in a behavior, the change will take as long as you let it. You have the power to make the change.

I love Nike's slogan here:

JUST DO IT!

Empowering Regards,

Bob

Here is the link: Ice Chip #105

This past week, President Obama again shared his vision -- or perhaps his campaign speech -- designed to position himself for the upcoming election. From a word choice perspective, he once again demonstrated poor word choice on numerous occasions. His speech was 7313 words long; 518 sentences; and 181 "(K)notty Words", including 29 multi-word sentences - which only compound the confusion!

Here are some excerpts from his speech, with the "(K)notty Words" highlighted in a faint shade of red and crossed out; to show they dissappear from view. (Remember the initial story of Remember the Ice... Don't forget the ice became... Forget the ice!)

Now read the excerpts and ask yourself is that what he wanted to say? When "(K)notty Words" are part of your landscape, the view is cluttered and cloudy.

Following the examples, we will offer an empowering alternative using some of the Re-Framing Five (Do, Can, Will, Would, Could) to articulate the message more clearly. (We will do the first one, then you can work with the other two. First 5 who sent their Re-Framed message will receive a digital copy of both Remember the Ice and Other Paradigm Shifts and Exceptional Care for Your Valued Client.)

Our experience with shale gas, our experience with natural gas, shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don’t alwayscome right away. Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail. But I will notwalk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. (Applause.)  I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here.

Our experience with both shale gas and natural gas shows us that the return on these public investments can take some time. Some technologies do pan out; some fail. I will persist with a promise of clean energy. I will support workers like Bryan. We can and will succeed on creating effective wind, solar and battery industries here in America, because we are willing to make the commitment here.

So give it a go. How would you Re-Frame this one?

ButI will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. (Applause.)  I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury poisoning, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny your coverage, or charge women differently than men. (Applause.)

Here is the third excerpt.

The point is, we should allwant a smarter, more effective government. And while we may notbe able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. ButI can do a whole lot more with your help. Because when we act together, there’s nothing the United States of America can’t achieve. (Applause.)

Hope you had your Re-Framing muscles working.  Look forward to hearing from you.

Empowering Regards,

Bob

I am so honored to be in concert with Bob Proctor.  If you would like to know more about the Home Study program:  The 11 Forgotten Laws, please click here.

]]> http://www.remembertheice.com/2012/01/31/ice-chip-149/feed/ 0 http://www.remembertheice.com/2012/01/30/ice-chip-148/ http://www.remembertheice.com/2012/01/30/ice-chip-148/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:35:17 +0000 bob http://www.remembertheice.com/?p=3184 This week's Ice Chip heads down a slippery side of the iceberg...

We are taking a look at two taboo subjects:

• Religion
• Politics

Here are a few examples of "(K)notty Words"in action occurring in these two arenas that are full of subjective opinions.

Have a look, and remember:

Words mean things!

Think of how you might Re-Frame the messages, send your comments to me: bob.nicoll@remembertheice.com

The first five (5) who do will receive BOTH of my books in digital format.

Here you go. Enjoy the exercise.

Ad from a heated campaign in Alaska - 2010

What is the message of this bumper sticker?

Twitter is loaded with comments like this.

Interesting billboard in the Netherlands - courtesy of my friend Jakolien Sok from Amsterdam

Another campaign bashing attempt - from the 2010 Alaska Primary

Across the pond in the UK, this billboard photo was contributed by my friend Martin Dewhurst,  from Manchester, England

Saw this Church marquee while driving on the Old Glenn Hwy toward Palmer, Alaska

Thank you to Mark Taylor, from Huntsville, TX for this great example of "(K)notty Words" in Action

Hope you had your Re-Framing muscles working. Look forward to hearing from you.

Empowering Regards,

Bob

Words mean things!

As a Re-Framing Word Smith, I am focused on the juxtaposition of words and the resulting behaviors. My dear friend Beth Anderson brought me a gift from her trip to South Africa in 2010. Here is a picture of the gift.

Beth knows that I have a passion for eradicating the “(K)notty Words” and she enjoyed getting these two items for me to review. When she gave them to me at the 2010 BNI International Directors Conference, I just shook my head. Each book is only 5 inches tall and 3 inches wide however their “(K)notty” message is magnanimous.

Blanche Ebbutt was the "Dear Abby" of her generation and wrote Don'ts for Husbands and Don'ts for Wives in 1913 as straight "how-to" guides to improve marital relationships. They contain hundreds of snippets of entertaining advice for a happy marriage, which rings true almost one hundred years after they were written. Here is a comment from one of London's leading Newspapers since 1896:

“Words of wisdom for a happy marriage from nearly a century ago…The advice comes from a set of guidebooks on marriage written on the eve of the First World War…Penned by Blanche Ebbutt in 1913, they were first published at a time when women stayed at home while their husbands went out to work. Times have changed since then, but the advice could be considered as relevant today as ever.”—The Daily Mail

As an expert in re-framing the message, and eradicating “(K)notty Words”, I take issue with the suggestion of “advice for the reader”. Have a look at one of the pages from the Don'ts for Wives book (Page 31).

Based on the Remember the Ice Philosophy (Click here for the story) this pages encourages wives to:

• Be out when your husband gets home.
• Let him have to search for you.
• Skip the kiss of greeting
• Greet him at the door with a catalogue of the dreadful crimes committed by the servants during the day. (One of my favorites... lol)
• Think your husband horrid if he seems a bit irritable.

Yikes!!! Would you really want to behave in this manner? Would you want to be treated in this manner?

Let's take a look at a page from the Don'ts for Husbands book: (Page 11).

Again, here is the mixed message offered as advice:

• Sulk when things go wrong.
• “Nag” your wife. If she has burnt the cake or forgotten to sew on a button, she wants to be told over and over again. (You have got to be kidding me!)
• Scowl and look severe.
• “Let off steam” on your wife or children every time anything goes wrong in the garage or the garden, or the fowl-house, or the dark room. (This last one could be grounds for building a case for how potential abuse occurs....)

Stop and think about the power of words. Each one has meaning and can change the course of an event.

Each of us is in the business of sales & marketing. Whether it is products and services to clients and prospective customers or ideas and suggestions to our children and partner; we are engaged to both the transfer of those goods and services as well as improving the selling environment. Remember the Ice helps you create the best environment and increases the results.

For more information on how your organization can benefit from understanding the power of word choice, contact Bob Nicoll, creator of Remember the Ice, the leading training company on how to: Increase your Sales by the Way You Compose Your Message.

Bob Nicoll

Chief Paradigm Shifter

Remember the Ice

907-862-1983

bob.nicoll@remembertheice.com

www.remembertheice.com

Repetition is the mother of skill.

~~~Tony Robbins

In Remember the Ice, this mantra is like a heartbeat.  When I founded the concept two days after returning from my experience in Hawaii, I knew right away that Repetition would be one of my greatest allies in changing life-long word choices.

Many of us have been told to stop saying "can't" by our parents when we were young children.  The amazing thing is that usually within minutes, the parent was saying something like, "I can't get that to work" or "I can't believe what you did" or "You can't do that anymore" or some other phrase with "can't" firmly entrenched in the comment.

I have witnessed this happen thousands of times in my life, paying particular attention to it since July 23, 1991 -- the birthday of Remember the Ice.

So with the idea of eradicating "(K)notty Words" firmly entrenched in one's speech patterns, it is necessary to remind yourself over and over to say what you would like to have happen.

Let's review the initial sign that started this concept:  Don't forget the ice.  We know that the "not" becomes invisible in the comment, and the customer is left with the only logical conclusion:  Forget the ice.  Yikes!!

So, this week's lesson is:

Instead of telling ourselves or our children or co-workers what we think we are incapable of, or terrible at or just plane dumb about -- in the interest of resolutions and repetition; let's focus on what we want to have happen.

Let's commit to using the Re-Framing Five more often:  DO, CAN, WILL, WOULD, COULD!

Have a BETTER week by using BETTER Word Choice!

Empowering Regards,

Bob

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